Outpatient imaging can be a cost-effective way to handle diagnostics in many medical situations. Patients should know when it's best to schedule imaging on an outpatient basis. Below are four times when outpatient imaging and testing are better options.
Follow-Up Care
Many types of follow-up are fundamentally routine forms of care. The available outpatient options are as good as ER laboratory testing. Suppose you suffered a broken bone weeks ago. Your doctor might schedule outpatient imaging to check that everything is healing as expected.
Not only is this more cost-effective than doing the job on an inpatient basis, but it's significantly more convenient. You can get in and out faster because you don't have to go through the admission process. If you have no reason to believe that the post-treatment period is going worse than expected, then this is a good way to just get the imaging done as quickly as possible.
Chronic Conditions
Lots of folks have ongoing conditions. These require monitoring, and that means imaging and testing. For example, a person with chronic asthma might need to keep tabs on the state of their condition. An outpatient service can test and image the patient's breathing ways to see that everything is okay. If there is a new or undiscovered problem, the imaging techs and your doctor will identify the issue and schedule further care.
Non-Life-Threatening Diagnosis
Many conditions are non-life-threatening. However, that doesn't mean they don't require the same level of care as ER laboratory testing provides. Suppose you have a neurological issue due to damage in your hand. An outpatient service can image and test the affected areas. They can then relay the findings to your doctor.
Especially when the diagnostic process may take a while, you don't want to spend endless time admitted to the hospital. Working on an outpatient basis allows you to get an appropriate level of care without ignoring the problem.
Screenings
Some forms of imaging and testing are routine screenings. A doctor doesn't have a specific reason to believe you currently have a condition. For example, you might come from a family with a history of a certain type of cancer. Imagining might be necessary, especially if you're past a particular age. However, you don't need to treat this as an inpatient problem. Outpatient imaging makes it easy for you to conduct the screening and then discuss the results with your doctor at your annual physical.
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